Pope Francis intervened with the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to have lifted all sanctions on silenced Irish priest Fr Sean Fagan, according to a report in The Irish Times.
The CDF silence Fagan, now 86, six years ago and in 2010 threatened him with laicization if he published any material it considered contrary to church teaching and if he disclose this to media. Fagan had a long history of questioning the Vatican’s stand conscience and sexual morality in books and as a prolific letter writer to The Irish Times.
In 2010, his religious order, the Marists bought up remaining copies of his two books Does Morality Change? (2003) and Whatever Happened to Sin? (2008) and pulled them from circulation.
The Irish Times reports that the CDF’s change toward Fagan was because “he loves the Church in spite of all its weaknesses: that he accepted his censure and observed his restrictions; and to his advanced age.”
The Irish Times is reporting that ormer President of Ireland Mary McAleese wrote to Pope Francis last December asking him to intervene in Fagan’s case.
Read the full report: Vatican lifts sanctions on silenced Irish priest
